We are now just a month away from the first game in The Ashes series as the under achieving Aussies face the mighty England team at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. If all goes to plan it will be business as usual with the England team notching up their third Ashes series win in a row. But then again when has …

What with the vagaries of the British summer is sage advice never to leave home without a jacket. And if you need something a bit smarter than the lightweight navy anorak with white piping that the world and his dog has been stepping out in this June, check out these slightly more formal summer jackets.

With summer fast approaching (- or due to make an appearance any time now) your look is not complete without a set of shades. With so many different styles to choose from and plenty of good High Street versions at a fraction of the cost, some of the coolest ones right now have got to be retro inspired ones. Sunglasses …

Not bought that Christmas jumper for the man you love yet? Or maybe your are a bloke who wants some new knitwear to help you face the sleet, snow and driving rain that is coming next month? Here are few suggestions, some of which are in the sale.

In some ways Duffle Coats are now classics that in theory anyone should be able to wear at any time. However unless you buy a smart one you run two risks. 1 You might end up looking a little too much like Paddington Bear. 2 Cheap ones can look a bit scruffy and won’t do for anything approaching a formal …

We haven’t had a jumper post on this website for a day or two now, which is odd because as John Lewis email pointed out this morning it is only 29 sleeps until Christmas. Round about now the great jumper sale begins with high street brands traditionally slashing prices in a bid to piss off people who did their Christmas …

One of the likely big trends in women’s wear for next is year monochrome black and white. Think Bridget Riley, op art, stripes of varying lengths, maybe a bit of dogs tooth too. Apparently stripey op art style dresses by the likes of Marc Jac0bs are predicted to drip on down to the High St. Chances are that the mod monochrome look will also have an influence …

There is a bit of trend in comedy jumpers this season. You only need to check out River Island’s selection to see how prevalent they are. If you want knitwear that doesn’t have to be teamed up with paper hats and plastic cracker jewelry that you can wear all winter long then check out this lot. These are our favourites …

Bit chilly out, isn’t it? If you’re still running about in flip-flops and short sleeves then a) You’re mental and b) take a look at the calendar, it’s the middle of October! Global warming may be jumbling up the seasons like a misguided game of drunken Twister, but winter’s definitely kicking in now. If the change in weather has caught …

When the summer heat kicks up a wavy haze off the concrete city streets, we know it can be tough to resist the urge to laze around in just your lightest shirts and underwear. Yet, we just can’t accept the return of the Hawaiian shirt, this summer’s slob-chic must-have. It’s like someone covered themselves in wallpaper paste, tore the pages …

A first look at River Islands Mens Spring Summer 2011 collection has now been released, and we were pleasantly surprised. Despite the fact the high st shop has opted to go with a fairly conservative colour palette, composed primarily of neutral tones with lots of blue denim, they have created a number of strong looks. It also seems as thought …

The Times has a feature at the moment detailing the changing size of the common tie as we go through decades of economic change. Apparently John Lewis has announced “a dramatic inch-loss of nearly 25 per cent in width over the past six months” with its most popular ties. Charlie Allen, the famous tailor Brandish recently had an exclusive sit-down with over the new ‘n’ improved England kit, told the Times that “the impact of economic turmoil on tie design can be traced back through the previous recessions of the 20th century. While postwar Britain and the Swinging Sixties embraced exaggerated prints and widths of up to 5in, the downturns of the 1930s and 1980s saw sizes reduce to as little as an inch.”

See after the jump for my Top 5 ‘Skinny Summer ties’– on the cheap for your enjoyment! (They’re all under £10)

Over at Catwalk Queen we’re gearing up for Graduate Fashion Week, we’ve been profiling the progression of graduates and reading their tips for getting into the industry. Russell Williams went to University of Derby and has been the menswear t-shirt designer at River Island since 2008.

This check jacket doesn’t deviate too much from the mainstream, it’s a nice spring blouson which you could wear quite easily with jeans but I have bigger plans for this piece. Available from River Island for £39.99 it deserves a little more attention.

Last week I was in search for a pair of school shoes. Beginning with classic brogues, I sampled a pair of black loafers and sneakily tried on a pair of Paul Smith Jermyns (with glorious plum laces) before ending up with a pair of not-so-exciting pointed Topman lace-ups. Inspired by this bout of school-shoe shopping I ventured onto Oki-Ni and came across their Doc Martens. Floral. Striped. Coloured. Neon. But then I came across their 1461 shoe and couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

A shoe, in simple black leather, that was more than double the price but half as nice as many of the shoes I had seen the previous day. These Dr. Martens did not look worth their £70 price tag, especially in comparison to my £35 Topman shoes. Granted, the Dr. Martens are probably better quality and might last longer but, are they even that easy on the eye? I, for one, wouldn’t want to be seen in them.

Fashion is fickle, even in times of economic recession. See after the jump for my Top 5 Best on a Budget Smart Shoes.

It’s time for us all to start dressing like Lightspeed Champion. Seriously. Take a look at any highstreet store and you’re bound to see a mixture of chunky cardigans, clear lens glasses and trapper hats. Add these together and you have Lightspeed Champion’s look. Out of these three defining pieces, the trapper hat is the one that looks to make a big comeback.